Jesmika and Jeksika

Jesmika and Jeksika

These are the names of the twins born in the Batticaloa hospital on the 24th June 2006. The twins’ father Mr. Joseph Selvarathinam and mother Mrs. Oviamalar are from the village Irudayapuram, Muthur. Their ordeal of displacement started when the first Ariel bomb fell in sambur Nearly two months they were moving from one place to another. When heavy shelling was taking place in Vaharai, Mrs. Oviamalar while running away fell down and got the labor pain. She was rushed to the Valaichennai hospital and from their transferred to Batticaloa hospital. As the twins were born before the expected dates, the children were kept in the hospital for 23 days. Now they are in the Valaichennai camp. “Nearly 50 kilometers I walked and ran with the twins in my stomach. Many a times I starved without food and water. At night I slept under the trees. Now I am relieved, Jesus was born in a manger and my children are in a camp and I think both are the same.” In the Valaichennai camp there are five children born like this. There are hundreds of children born as refugees.

I am just reproducing the report of our teacher M.Premila who is doing education and psycho social activities in Kinnya camp. “I could feel most of the people are emotionally upset. It is because of the separation of the loved ones, some are missing and some are still in the village and some are in the camps and nearly 30 adults are arrested by the army We ran away without taking any thing. We don’t have any extra dress to change. We don’t have any inner garments says some young girls.” They have asked our help to bring back the stranded members of their families from the villages. “During the heavy shelling our family members ran in different direction. We took the forest route and finally landed in Trinco and we hope some our family members reached Valaichennai and Batticaloa. We are very anxious to hear about them.” “ My husband was one among the 30 arrested by the army. This is the first time I am separated from my husband” cried a young married woman. I listened to them, cried with them and gave them hope. I also played with the children and taught them some songs. After two days I went to the camp again and I could see smiles in all their faces. The reason is all the 30 people arrested are released. They shared their happiness with me. . Being part of their sorrows and happiness made me feel one with them. I felt so happy. I can never forget this day in my life. In another incident the mother with three days old daughter ran nearly 50 k.m. The husband is still missing. Another lady gave birth to her first child in the camp. They don’t have a separate place even to give milk to their children. Another girl 17 years old, 8 months pregnant, lost her husband in the war and separated from her father and mother. I felt so sad to hear their life experiences and I could do nothing except to put my arms around them and cry with them, When I was coming out of the camp, I prayed to God that this kind of displacement should not happen again to these people.